Lawyer recruits soap star to Corby campaign

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Schapelle Corby's legal team has recruited one of Indonesia's
best-known soapie starlets in an effort to get Indonesians to
support the Queensland woman the way many Australians have.

The latest recruit to the Corby defence team, Anisa Tri Hapsari,
was unveiled to a media conference yesterday packed with reporters
from the television stations best known for their celebrity gossip
and soap operas.

Corby's Jakarta lawyer, Hotman Hutapea, said he had employed
Hapsari because the view of the Indonesian public would be critical
in determining the outcome of Corby's appeal against her 20-year
sentence for drug smuggling.

"The public's view will affect the decision of the court," Mr
Hutapea said as he explained Hapsari's job would be to work as an
information officer who could convince ordinary Indonesians of the
huge doubts about Corby's guilt.

"The public's view is important because usually Indonesian
judges are reluctant to give a decision that's contrary to the
public's view," Mr Hutapea said.

Corby's Balinese lawyer, Lily Lubis, agreed it was important to
get the public onside if they were to convince the judges to acquit
her client.

As well as her roles in numerous television dramas, Hapsari is
known around the country for her broken marriage and bitter child
custody dispute with a grandson of former president Soeharto.

Mr Hutapea said he planned to go to Bali to visit Corby today or
tomorrow and then file the Gold Coast woman's appeal sometime
before the end of business tomorrow.